1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for electric parts disposed on a circuit board and adapted to accommodate electric parts for carrying out a performance test or like of the electric parts such as semiconductor device (called “IC package” hereinafter).
2. Description of the Prior Art
As such a socket for electric parts of the kind mentioned above, there is conventionally known an IC socket used for performing a test for an IC package as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-59117.
This IC socket comprises a socket body which is located on a circuit board and accommodates an IC package. Furthermore, the IC socket comprises a rotatably supported latches for pressing down the accommodated IC package, and an operating member, which is used for rotating the latches, is constituted so that it may vertically moves relatively to the socket body.
When opening the latch, the operating member is made to descend, and so the latch is released from a state locked by the operating member. Then, the latches rotate in a direction to be opened, because the canter of gravity of the latches are set outer side of rotation axes of the latches themselves. As a result, the latches are opened to outermost position and are taken refuge in a outer side of the area where the IC package is accommodated and taken out.
When closing the latch, the operating member is made to rise, and so the top portions of stopper walls of the operating member contact with a lower faces of the operated portions of the latches and push up the latches. As a result, the lathes rotate themselves in a direction to be closed.
When the latches are closed, the IC package is pushed by pushing portions of the latches, and so contact pins and the IC package contact each other at predetermined contact pressure.
In such a conventional IC socket, the canter of gravity of the latches are necessarily to be set outer side from rotation axes of the latches themselves. For this reason, outer side edges of the latches extend to outer side, and the operating member for making the latches move vertically is necessarily to be placed outer side of the latches. Such a constitution make it difficult to downsize the IC socket.